Tag Archives: furniture

Two, maybe three, years ago I read about this hostel in a report about innovative use of space. The owners had taken on an old vacuum cleaner factory in Berlin and filled it with old style caravans and ‘cabins’. I wanted to stay there.

Two, maybe three, years later I had booked flights to Berlin and suddenly remembered all but the name of the hostel. Doh. Then I remembered it’s the 21st century and we have Google. Search: ‘cool hostel with caravans in Berlin‘ et voila! HüTTENPALAST (www.huettenpalast.de).

From the styling alone you can tell Hüttenpalast is located in the young and creative district of Neukölln. An eclectic mix of modern, mid century and damn right old furniture and bits and pieces gives this unique retreat a warm, homely feel- despite the industrial shell. The owners have cleverly positioned everything so whilst you feel you have your own space you are also subtly encouraged to socialise, should you wish. The palette is mainly whites, greys and natural pale wood with injections of spirit through traditional ceramics and books combined with colourful patterned Ikea fabrics.

Take a peek for yourself…

Ingenious use of an old door – definitely trying this one out!

Cosy corner by our cabin.

This cabin can sleep two people inside and two people on top.

A great space for preparing for the day ahead or reading if it’s tipping it down outside!

The cobalt blue of this shelf really gives this cow some standout.

These silver birch trees help with the outside inside experience!

The classic mirror shot…

Wake up to morning coffee and mini crossiants, served under a tree central to the factory.

If my enthusiasm for this place still hasn’t sold indoor camping to you they also have private hotel rooms so you have no excuse not to visit!

HÜTTENPALAST is also a cafe and a garden space, if you happen to pop in for breakfast I would definitely recommend the granola with fresh fruit and yoghurt – it was bigger than my face and totally delicious! The staff were welcoming and incredibly helpful, recommending places to visit that were outside the usual list, one such recommendation led to a very interesting sauna experience…but that’s another story ; )

Planes, trains, buses, boris bikes and my faithful feet have all taken a beating as I trawled the shows and events at Paris Design week and London Design Festival with a little bit of London Fashion week thrown in for good measure!

This is the first post of several bringing you my best bits.

Let’s start with Paris.

I love visiting Paris, as soon as I stepped off the train I got my favourite Paris feeling – the one where the extraordinary is suddenly more likely and magic actually exists. After eating my own weight in croissants and that delicious french bread with strawberry jam I felt ready to take on Maison et Objet, from there I headed to Perishing Hall off the Champs Elysees for a presentation. I scoured St Germain and made my way to the docks to see Now!Le Off, a small show full of emerging design talent.

Below you will see two of my favourite examples of elastic storage – as seen at Now!Le Off, these two pieces combined natural pale wood with neon/bright elastic to give flexibility and support for any objects you wish to store.

The strength of the digital world’s influence is evident in this piece of furniture where craftsmanship and tradition meet pixels!

I saw this inky pattern on anything and everything, especially in this season’s appropriate inky blue! This is a step on from the painterly water colour trend we’ve seen over the past few years. It also represents a softening in some of the graphics we’ve been experiencing.

Marquetry. Where did it go? Not that it matters…..because its back! Seen below with strong geometric shapes, the age old craft has returned and is being used in new and interesting ways. The honey tones and hues of the wood being key in order to create maximum impact through complex patterns.

I saw a real trend for up lifting basic objects (eg. potato peelers made from gold) but this example turned that theory on it’s head giving the classic chandelier, a comic and fun twist – colour and material playing an obvious roll in the transformation.

These images represent about 0.1 % of the wierd and wonderful pieces I saw but fear not! Design Junction, Tent, Decorex, Focus and much more still to come!

I love it when Eve comes for dinner. She always brings an usual item for my table. Last night these beautiful berries were bestowed upon me. Bright rich orange and an intriguing purple they got me wondering how I could incorporate this into my home.

In the absence of an actual room to paint to illustrate my thinking I went for pasta instead. Given the colours are so bold it is likely I would get bored so I would use white as a backdrop and insert the colours as accents on a small piece of furniture…

Should I be worried that I bought a florescent pink knit without a second thought?

Maybe.

BUT you can’t deny the instant uplift neon yellow gives this table setting as seen in the Zara Home window display in Milan. Very easy to do, a neon kick doesn’t have to be permanent – add a cushion, ornament or if you’re feeling bold, a piece of furniture.